You made a movie on your honeymoon?

As a Creative Director, I spend most of my time collaborating with a team, guiding the brand messaging and graphics for a local television station. After spending 17+ years as a writer/producer/videographer, it’s stunning how little I actually create with my hands anymore. I sure do miss it.

During my recent 3 week sabbatical, I had some time, and I happened to be in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen on my honeymoon in the Abaco Islands, Bahamas.

The Abacos are 120-mile-chain of islands and cays (pronounced keys) due east of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, known as “The Boating Capitol of the World.”

I must tell you, it was stunning. The clarity of the water, the blue green hues are barely describable. It was also a little bit like being on an episode of “The Amazing Race.” Though we weren’t in any kind of hurry, we did have to forage a little bit for our food! And I’m pretty sure we used every single transportation source on the islands. We traveled by taxi, bike, fishing boat, ferry and golf cart.

There were those moments of kismet, fate, and divinely inspired direction that last a lifetime. The stingray that came from the deep to swim along the shoreline with us, the fish we needed for dinner that found their way into our boat, the rain always perfectly timed, wrapped up in the magnificent rainbow that graced our beach on our last night. It was truly magical.

Creative inspiration + my person + that water(!) = that spark in my bonfire heart. Special thanks and music credits to Paper Kites (“Bloom”) and to James Blount (“Bonfire Heart”).

I had an iPhone, macbook pro and iMovie, which doesn’t have nearly the finesse I wanted in an editor, but then again, I may not be much of a professional editor any more.